


to fall in love

by orphan_account



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crushes, M/M, Mutual Pining, Three Times Plus One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22961977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Seungmin knows that he has a habit of romanticizing everything around him. The way the autumn leaves fall down to his feet and he’s able to step on them and hear the satisfying crunch beneath the sole of his shoes; the way the morning feels each time he gets up earlier than everyone and drinks a cup of coffee with two sugars and a bit of milk.Still, he can’t help himself when he starts thinking of Felix as more than just a friend.
Relationships: Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix
Comments: 8
Kudos: 118





	to fall in love

Seungmin knows that he has a habit of romanticizing everything around him. The way the autumn leaves fall down to his feet and he’s able to step on them and hear the satisfying crunch beneath the sole of his shoes; the way the morning feels each time he gets up earlier than everyone and drinks a cup of coffee with two sugars and a bit of milk. 

Still, he can’t help himself when he starts thinking of Felix as more than just a friend. 

The first time the thought appears inside his head, they’re walking side by side towards the convenience store down the street. It’s cold, hence the thick jackets and black masks covering their faces, and they’re basking in the silence that comes with a winter night.

Even with the mask, Seungmin can see the way Felix’s face lights up as soon as he spots the stray puppy trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep in in front of a store’s windowsill. Felix lets out an excited noise and walks towards the puppy, arm already extended to pet it. 

“Be careful,” Seungmin says to him as he kneels down, and Felix just looks at him with a bright smile. His eyes form crescent moons in the way he’s smiling so widely, and Seungmin feels his heart soften just a bit at the sight of him next to the dog. 

“He’s just a puppy!” Felix laughs, then he turns to the dog, “Ah, just like Seungminnie.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes fondly and fights the urge to kneel right next to Felix and pet the dog himself — sue him, he’s a dog person. Felix is scratching behind the dog’s ear, and in turn the little brown thing is letting out happy noises at the attention. Felix smiles even wider. 

“Can we keep it?” He asks, picking the dog up and cradling it close to his chest. Seungmin worries for a second, but then the puppy cuddles up to Felix’s warmth and he swallows the urge to tell Felix to put the dog down. 

Seungmin smiles sadly, “You know we’re not allowed any pets,” he says. 

Felix makes an unhappy noise. Seungmin thinks that will be it, that Felix will put the dog down and they’ll continue their walk, but he lights up with a sudden idea and says, “But we could hide it!” 

“No,” Seungmin replies. 

His friend pouts, and Seungmin suddenly feels the urge to reach over and kiss his pout away. He feels his face getting hot as the thought flashes through his head, and he prays that it looks as though it’s only the cold messing with his body. Instead, he tells Felix to put the puppy down and though he pouts and turns around to wave at the dog around six times, they continue their walk.

Seungmin isn’t sure why he’s suddenly thinking about kissing one of his best friends, or about cuddling even though he’s never been too keen on skinship. He doesn’t understand why he, sometimes, gets the urge to count all the freckles on his cheeks with his lips. And even though he tries to fight it, it happens a second time right after a recording session. 

They finish earlier than they were expecting; Chan seems satisfied with their progress and agrees to treat them to dinner after Jisung and Felix practically beg him to order Chinese takeout when they get home. Seungmin watches from the sidelines, eyes shining with a fondness he only holds for his best friends, and grabs his bag so they can leave. 

At some point, which Seungmin isn’t able to process, Felix falls into matching steps beside him. He’s quiet, and Seungmin’s eyes ghost over his side profile; his nose and the shape of his lips. Felix turns to look at him as if feeling his stare, and he smiles lightly.

“Hi,” he says. 

“Hey,” Seungmin replies, then, to not let Felix’s soft voice die, he says, “You did well today.”

Felix smiles, “I think I’m improving,” he says.

Seungmin feels the need to remind him he’s always been good, to let him know he’s so talented it aches. Before the words fall from his lips without him wanting them to, he says, “We all are.”

There’s a pint of nostalgia in the air, swallowing them whole as their friends’ laughter is only background noise to their conversation. Seungmin feels as though he’s inside a bubble, and he doesn’t want it to pop, so he speaks again:

“It’s crazy, how much we’ve grown.”

Felix hums. “I’m proud of us.” 

He intertwines his fingers with Seungmin’s in a gesture so soft Seungmin can feel it inside his chest. Felix’s hand is warmer than his, so he basks in the feeling for as long as he’s able to. Seungmin wants to stay like that forever; with Felix’s hand in his and with an emotion he can’t quite pinpoint settling inside his heart and filling him with some sort of bliss he can’t escape from. Felix squeezes once before letting go and the cold settles once more. 

Unspoken: _I’m proud of you._

It happens a third time before Seungmin decides to do something about it. 

They’re in their hotel room, Felix is in the bathroom getting ready for bed while Seungmin cleans his glasses as he lays on top of the covers. He’s not sure whose bed he’s laying on, but it doesn’t seem to matter much when Felix emerges from the bathroom, pink headband adorned with bunny ears pulling his hair out of his face, and lips glossy from the lip balm he just put on. 

He lays next to Seungmin and keeps quiet, looking at the movement of his hands as they wipe the crystal. 

After it’s silent for a few seconds, Seungmin says, “What’s up?”

Felix just makes a noise from the back of his throat. He cranes his neck to look up at Seungmin and he stays like that for a moment. He can’t see clearly, since he doesn’t have his glasses on, but he thinks Felix looks beautiful as he lays next to him. 

“Just thinking,” the boy says. He gets into a sitting position and smiles. It’s a smile Seungmin knows all too well; a smile that signifies Felix is about to do something mischievous. 

Realization settles, but Seungmin is a second too late to grab his glasses tighter before Felix grabs them and pulls them towards himself. 

“How blind are you?” He asks, and Seungmin just huffs out in faux annoyance. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Felix holds up three fingers — a figure Seungmin can see perfectly fine — and laughs loudly. He places the glasses on his face before gasping loudly.

“You actually can’t see!” He exclaims, “Everything is so small!” 

Seungmin laughs. He always gets the same reaction, but for some reason Felix’s is way more endearing than anything he’s ever seen. He nods, “Yeah, that’s what happens when you put someone else’s glasses on.”

Felix’s hands reach the glasses legs’ behind his ears and he plays with them; up and down, up and down. Seungmin knows he’ll get dizzy, but Felix seems to be having fun so he doesn’t say anything. Then, he does it faster.

“Yah, Lee Felix!” Seungmin calls to get him to stop. “Be careful!” 

Felix laughs and without taking the glasses off, he cuddles up to Seungmin and hums contentedly. Sometimes, he reminds Seungmin of a cat. He closes his eyes and Seungmin doesn’t have the heart to tear his glasses off his face until he falls asleep. 

As he stares at him, he wonders why his heart feels so heavy.

He’s tired, to say the least, of thinking about his best friend in ways he doesn’t understand. He’s still confused, though he comes to terms with it after a while. He likes Felix. At least he thinks he does. 

So, when they find themselves alone after Felix asks for Seungmin’s help to practice his vocals, he decides that enough is enough. 

After Felix goes through the piece again, Seungmin — instead of picking on his uneven breathing like he should — blurts out, “I think I like you.”

Felix’s hand stills halfway towards his mouth, water bottle half empty, and he blinks. “Huh?”

“I think I like you,” Seungmin repeats, “No, I know I do.”

It’s silent for a moment. Seungmin is afraid Felix won’t ever speak, so he doesn’t stop himself from speaking again:

“Uhm, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. It’s — I just felt like I needed to tell you. I know it’s sudden, but —” he stops talking once he sees Felix’s smile. “Why are you smiling like that?”

He wonders if, to Felix, rejection is sweet.

“You’re just cute, I guess.” 

Seungmin blanks. _What?_ He wants to ask. Instead, he just lets out a choked up noise. 

“Jisung said you like me, though I never believed him,” Felix talks again, “Because I thought he was only saying it to get me to shut up about my _disgusting pining_. His words.”

Seungmin laughs before he’s even able to process the words Felix said. Once he does, he looks up with his mouth open and eyes wide. 

“You mean you like me too?” He’s almost afraid of the answer, but it goes away as soon as Felix nods. 

“Mhm, have for a while,” he replies, “It’s so hard, you’re so thickheaded.” 

He has half the heart to be offended, but the other half of himself moves closer to Felix and, almost inaudibly, asks, “Can I kiss you?”

When he does, Seungmin is sure there’s nothing that feels better than kissing Lee Felix.


End file.
